Professional judgements and decisions on placement in foster care and reunification in Portugal

ABSTRACT

This study aims to analyse professional judgements and decisions made in the Portuguese child care system in face of a case vignette of child maltreatment. Using the approach proposed by Benbenishty et al. [(2015). Decision making in child protection: An international comparative study on maltreatment substantiation, risk assessment and interventions recommendations, and the role of professionals’ child welfare attitudes. Child Abuse & Neglect, 49, 63–75. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.03.015], we assessed the decisions of professionals, such as to place the child in foster care or reunify her with her family, on the basis of a series of judgements (e.g. substantiation of alleged abuse and neglect, risk assessments) that are influenced by the characteristics of the case, the decision-making context, and mother's and child's wishes. We conclude that there are different approaches to the case based on different professionals' attitudes that can be classified in two groups: one more pro-removal and the other anti-removal. These groups presented different risk assessments and intervention recommendations, and their decisions where significantly influenced by the mother's and child's wishes. Furthermore, we have done comparisons with studies made in other countries, concluding that the country context can be an important factor that leads to different outcomes. Implications for both practice and research are presented.

RESUMO

Este estudo visa analisar os julgamentos e decisões dos profissionais do Sistema de Proteção de Crianças português, face a um caso de uma criança maltratada. Usando a abordagem proposta por Benbenishty et al. (2015), nós avaliámos as decisões dos profissionais, respeitantes à colocação em acolhimento familiar a à reunificação com a família biológica, na base de uma série de julgamentos (e.g. substanciação de alegado abuso ou negligência, avaliação de riscos), os quais são influenciados pelas características do caso, o contexto de tomada de decisão, e os desejos da mãe e da criança. Concluímos que existem diferentes abordagens ao caso, baseadas em diferentes atitudes dos profissionais, os quais podem ser classificados em dois grupos: um mais favorável à retirada da criança; e outro menos favorável. Estes grupos apresentaram diferentes avaliações de risco e diferentes recomendações de intervenção, sendo as suas decisões significativamente influenciadas pelos desejos da mãe e da criança. Mais, fizemos comparações com estudos realizados noutros países, concluindo que o contexto nacional pode ser um importante fator, que pode levar a diferentes resultados. São apresentadas implicações práticas e de investigação.

KEYWORDS:

• Foster care
• reunification
• assessment
• child abuse
• child care policy and practice

PALAVRAS-CHAVE:

• Acolhimento familiar
• Reunificação
• Avaliação
• Abuso de crianças
• Políticas e práticas de proteção de crianças e jovens em risco

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

João M. S. Carvalho is a professor at University Institute of Maia, Portugal. He is also a researcher at CICS.NOVA.UMinho – Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences, UNICES – Research Unit on Business Sciences and Sustainability and InED – Research and Innovation Centre in Education. He has a Degree in Business Management, a Post-Graduation in Social Gerontology, a MSc in Economics and a Ph.D. in Business Sciences. He is researching different subjects, all related with social sustainability, and in particular the social responses in relation to vulnerable people, such as children, adolescents and elderly. He has lectured on Bachelor's and Master's degrees on Social Work, Psychology, Management and Marketing since 1997.

João Paulo Ferreira Delgado has a degree in Law, a Master's Degree in Education Sciences by Portucalense University, Porto, Portugal, a Ph.D. in Education Sciences by Santiago de Compostela University, Spain, and an Aggregation Degree in Education by Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro University, Portugal. He is professor at School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal (ESEPP). He is a researcher at CIEC – Research Centre of Child Studies, Minho University, and InED – Polytechnic Institute of Porto in the field of specialisation of Social Pedagogy, Children's rights and Foster Care.

Rami Benbenishty is a professor at School of Social Work at Bar Ilan University. His main area of interest is the safety, welfare and well-being of children around the world. He is studying children and youth both in community normative settings, such as schools, and in out of home placements, such as foster homes and residential care. He investigates and tries to improve decision processes that lead to referral to protective services, removal of children from their biological families, and their reunification thereafter. He is also studying the decision-making processes of child protection teams in hospitals that report children to community protective services.

Bilha Davidson-Arad is a professor and the Head of the Bob Shapell School of Social Work from Tel-Aviv University. She is a well-established researcher and practitioner. Her many published studies in the area of child abuse and neglect include investigations of professionals’ decisions on removal and on the comparative well-being of maltreated children who remain at home and those who have been removed. She teaches group work and group therapy. In her practice she runs for survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence and trains group facilitators in these areas.

Vânia Pinto has a Degree in Psychological Sciences, a Master degree in Clinical Psychology, at ISPA – University Institute, Portugal, and Post-Graduation programmes on ‘Protection of Minors’ at the Faculty of Law - University of Coimbra, and on ‘Data Analysis in the Social Science’ at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon. She is a DPhil Candidate in Education at the Rees Centre, Department of Education, University of Oxford, UK. She is also a collaborate researcher at InED, School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto. Her main areas of research are child protection systems, foster care and indicators of placement success.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the support provided by the Haruv Institute, Jerusalem, Israel.